BELMONT – Senior Kyle Van Bogaert went 6-for-7 at the plate with eight runs batted in and three runs scored to lead the Belmont Braves to a sweep over the visiting Albany Comets in a Six Rivers crossover doubleheader at BHS on Thursday, April 17.
     Van Bogaert was 2-for-3 with a pair of runs scored and a RBI in an 8–7 victory for the Braves in game one, and he was unstoppable in the nightcap going 4-for-4 with seven RBI and a run scored to secure the sweep with a 13–5 win.
     Belmont (3–2 overall and SRW) scored five times in the bottom of the third to take a seemingly comfortable 7–1 lead in the opener, but the Comets fought back with five runs of their own in the fourth and another run in the fifth to deadlock the score at seven all.
     The Braves broke the tie in the sixth when Lane Kamps brought home Jon Bahr with a sacrifice fly to center, and reliever Raine Voigts set down the Comets in the seventh to earn the win.
Quinn Cushman and Bahr each scored twice for the Braves, while Lane Friedrich drove in two runs for the hosts.
Voigts (1–0), who was also 2-for-4 at the plate, pitched three and two-thirds innings in relief, allowing one run on two hits and four walks with three strikeouts in the win. Van Bogaert started the game and worked three and a third innings, yielding six runs (five earned) on four hits and five walks with four Ks.
     In game two, the Braves erased a 2–1 deficit with a six-run rally in the top of the second inning, and then added insurance runs in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings to run away with a 13–5 decision.
     Van Bogaert drove in a run with a sacrifice fly in the first inning, blasted a three-run home run in the second frame, doubled in a run in the fourth and lined RBI-singles in the fifth and sixth innings to lead the Braves to victory.
     Lucas Haag went 3-for-4 with a pair of doubles, two runs scored and a RBI, while Bahr scored three times and drove in two for Belmont. Cushman scored twice more in game two.
     Kamps (2–1), who went 2-for-3 with a double, earned the complete-game win after surrendering five runs on 10 hits and five walks with eight strikeouts.
     At Belmont, on Monday, April 21, the visiting Cassville Comets plated three runs in the top of the fifth inning to snap a 2–2 tie and held on to defeat the Braves, 6–2, in a Six Rivers West showdown.
     Cam Jensen singled in Hunter Nix to break the tie, and the Comets added two more runs on a pair of errors to grab a 5–2 lead.
     Ty Kartman took over on the mound for starter Elijah Okey in the bottom of the fifth and retired nine of the 10 batters he faced to secure the win for Cassville.
     Jon Bahr was 2-for-3 with two runs scored thanks to RBI-singles by Kyle Van Bogaert in the first and Lane Friedrich in the third. Raine Voigts also went 2-for-3 for the Braves.
     Lane Kamps took the loss, yielding just two earned runs on seven hits and seven walks and he struck out 10 batters.
Belmont will host Barneveld in a doubleheader on Friday, April 25, and Shullsburg/Benton in a SRW game on Monday, April 28, before hitting the road for a SRW game at Potosi on Tuesday, April 29.

Belmont 8, Albany 7
(from Thursday, April 17 @ Belmont)
Albany      100    510    0     —  7   6  1
Belmont    205    001    x    ­—  8   8  0
Leading hitters — B: Kyle Van Bogaert 2x3, Raine Voigts 2x4. 2B — B: Jon Bahr, Mitch Ray. W — Raine Voigts (1–0, 3.2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 4 SO, 5 BB). L — Kauk (2.2 IP, 6 H, 7 R, 7 ER, 2 SO, 7 BB).

Belmont 13, Albany 5
(from Thursday, April 17 @ Belmont)
Belmont    160    132    0    ­— 13 16  1
Albany      211    001    0     —  5 10  1
Leading hitters — B: Lane Friedrich 2x3, Kyle Van Bogaert 4x4, Lane Kamps 2x3, Lucas Haag 3x4; A: McNaught 2x4, Pfeufi 2x3, Gilkes 2x4, Kauk 2x2. 2B — B: Van Bogaert, Haag 2, Kamps; A: Gilkes 2. HR — B: Van Bogaert. W — Lane Kamps (2–0, 7 IP, 10 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 8 SO, 5 BB). L — Dahl (1 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 SO, 3 BB).

Cassville 6, Belmont 2
(from Monday, April 21 @ Belmont)
Cassville    011    030    1     —  6   7  1
Belmont     101    000    0    ­—  2   7  3
Leading hitters — C: Codi Schwab, Colten Reynolds; B: Jon Bahr 2x3, Raine Voigts 2x3. 2B — C: Nix. HR — B: Van Bogaert. W — Elijah Okey (4 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 1 SO, 0 BB). L — Lane Kamps (2–1, 7 IP, 7 H, 6 R, 2 ER, 10 SO, 7 BB).